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Raees isn't a flawless and energy oozing film but the presence of Shahrukh Khan and Nawazudin Siddhiqui puts it on a safe territory though on a sticky pitch. There is lot of style but the style quotient is not backed by some substance in the content. Dialogues, performance and the retro feel of the 80's are some of the highlights of the film which has a very slow speed but where it compensate is on the showdown between one of the reliable and topnotch actor of these days in the form of Siddhiqui and an entertainer in Shahrukh Khan.

Its a gangster story set in Gujarat and narrate the rise of Raees a little boy from scratches to a gangster dealing in illicit hooch business. ACP Majumdar takes charge and the film is basically a cat and mouse game between the two. Whether Raees can survive in the race is what is shown in the film.

The plot as such is nothing new and doesn't go through any unpredictable situations at any point of time. But SRK along with Siddhiqui takes care of the weakness and dullness in the plot by bringing in their own style in front of the camera to lit up the proceedings.

There are some classy one liners as part of the dialogues to which both Shahrukh and Siddhiqui are part of. I should say these are moments that bring about a much needed life into an otherwise dull narration at times. A contemporary feel is created beautifully and credit for that goes mainly to the art department. People looking for unexpected twists and surprises would be a dejected lot as the screenplay has nothing to offer on that front to give a U-turn in the flow. The film is a bit lengthy at least by twenty minutes and this extra duration only helped in bringing in some amount of lagness to storyline.

Shahrukh Khan puts in lot of energy in the title role that has a dual shade to it. His mannerisms and dialogue delivery and stylishness was a treat to watch. At the same time I should also say the same thing about Nawazudin Siddhiqui as well. Their combination scenes were highly entertaining and had life in it. If this spark in those combination scenes didn't work out, the film would have been a big let down.

Pakistani actress Mahirah Khan making her Bollywood debut is the female lead paired opposite Shahrukh Khan and it was a normal Bollywood role limited to a few scenes and songs without giving much space to perform credibly. Atul Kulkarni was underutilized. A few more notable but unfamiliar actors are part of the supporting casts.

Cinematography by K.U Mohanan is good and the color tone reminiscent of the period it was meant to be helped in giving a different feel on the visual side. Editor should have done a better job in chopping few scenes that unnecessarily extended the running time. Music was okay while the background score was classy especially the tune they use when Raees is on the run. Sunny Leone appeared as an item girl hip swinging to the famous Laila Oh Laila song and it was recreated quite well though not close anywhere to the original number that was pictured on Helen.

Raees is predictable but is an entertaining gangster story that has its ups and downs with the mood of the film swinging in different direction. The highlights if you ask me to note down would be performance factor and style quotient brought about by two actors who both were instrumental in giving a facelift to the film and ensured that it isn't a disappointment despite its uneven pace.

When we think about movies directed by Sathyan Anthikad, the most striking aspects that pop into our minds are that of all of them barring a very few have the goodness factor visible in them and also the simplicity in the plot. The subjects giving stress for family values and relationships will have a social relevance in it. The background that Sathyan chooses to elaborate his plot will also be pretty much the same not for all but for a majority of his flicks.

These are all the attributes that makes a Sathyan Anthikad movie a special one for majority of the audience and more particularly for the family audience among whom the director and his films have a special place in their heart. Though off late, this fan base has eroded to an extent as a result of repetition in the treatment of the movies. Still people seriously look forward to his films with much anticipation expecting a minimum level of entertainment.

Jomontay Suvisheshangal, the latest Sathyan Anthikad movie finally reaches the audience after all those incidents that was casting a bad shadow for our industry. This time its new generation actor Dulquer Salman the chosen one who is given the mantle to lead the film scripted by Iqbal Kuttipuram who was the script writer for Oru Indian Pranayakatha which was also directed by Sathyan Anthikad.

Now coming to my verdict on Jomontay Suvisheshangal, the film turns out to be pretty well till the half way stage and runs out of steam after that. In totality its a rehash of many of the director's previous works and also by coincidence has a very close relationship (I would say a distant cousin) with Vineeth Sreenivasan's Jacobintay Swargarajyam.

Vincent is a wealthy businessman based out of Thrissur. He has two sons and two daughters and Jomon is one among them who is considered as an irresponsible chap by his family members. Jomon is dear to Vincent but how he turned out to be the dearest to his father is the basic crux of this plot which runs to a little more than two and a half hours.

Just like any Sathyan Anthikad film, here in Jomontay Suvisheshangal also the director dwell upon family values, passing socially relevant messages and also the father son relationship which is a trademark of many of the films for which the director has wielded the megaphone. Many characters also has that cliched feel when we compare and to me this film is another recycled version of some previous products of the director himself. No changes whatsoever except for the casting side on the lead role of Dulquer.

Repetition and close resemblance to some recent films is what has gone against the film. Add to it, the total lack of novelty in plot after the halfway mark. Even though screenplay is by Iqbal Kuttipuram, the story and every moment very much resemble the Sathyan Anthikad style genre. What's happening within the Vincent family was depicted neatly in the first half but the incidents that happen after that failed to get going and end up as an unconvincing portrayal.

The romantic track has two shades and both of them lacked clarity and conviction. Relationship between Vincent and Jomon and how the latter proves his worth to the former should have ended up as an inspirational and motivating portion but that didn't happen mainly due to the lifeless and somewhat lagging screenplay after the first half.

It was an easy role for Dulquer Salman to get deep inside the character of Jomon which had very little to do if we consider the challenges before him. He was apt for the role and did what was expected, nothing less or nothing more. Gregory as Jomon's friend Mushtaq was okay while Muthumani, Irshad, Vinu Mohan and Sivaji Guruvayoor were notable among the supporting actors. Innocent was repetitive. Tamil actor Manobala appear after the halfway stage and makes a mark in his familiar style. Both the leading ladies Anupama Parameswaran and Aiswarya Rajesh couldn't make any impact due to half baked characters.

The best among the actors was Mukesh who has created a nice space for himself in the industry wisely choosing roles that suit his age and appearance. Vincent was safe in his hands and he was upto the challenge of portraying them in a convincing manner. The character had few scenes that were emotional and he made it look so natural on screen.

Songs were tuned by Vidyasagar and they aren't exceptional and never came up to the standards set by the director. Background score was reasonable. Cinematography by S. Kumar was quite good as expected from a man of his experience.

Overall, Jomontay Suvisheshangal is not that interesting as expected with a highly predictable plot once the family track in the film gets settled. The resemblance with many of Sathyan Anthikad's other movies which he has done and also with another recent successful inspirational film makes up for an underwhelming experience and at best an average one. Its high time the director drive his bus in a different route to woo more audience.